Chapter 23
Dillon begged off the next man who approached her. She searched the room for Cal as she walked to the bar for a bottle of water. She opened it and turned as she drank. That’s when she saw Cal headed her way. Dillon set aside the water aside as he stopped in front of her.
He smiled and held out his hand. She accepted his invitation and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor.
The first strings of Hank Williams Jr.’s Texas Women began to play.
Dillon had seen Cal two-stepping with the little girl, so she knew he could dance.
But she wasn’t prepared for the way it felt to move with him around the room.
“You’re very popular,” he said with a grin.
She smiled and ducked her head. “So are you, apparently.”
His gray eyes held hers, but she looked away nervously. It felt good to be in his arms. That song ended, and another began, but he never let go of her. She hid her smile when he glared at a man who approached them.
“You’re right,” she told him.
He lifted his brows. “About?”
“The rumor mill is talking about us.”
Cal’s eyes crinkled with his smile. “There’s so much attention on you right now, this is probably the safest place you could be.”
No. The safest place she could be was in his arms, though she couldn’t quite manage to say the words.
Whether Cal knew it or not, she had leaned heavily on him these last days, but he had withstood it easily.
She’d found herself wanting to have him there.
Yes, she could do things herself. But that didn’t mean she wanted to.
She got lonely. Not to mention, life was a lot more fun if there was someone to enjoy it with.
As the second song ended, she glanced to the side and saw someone coming toward them. After being in Cal’s arms, she didn’t want to dance with anyone else.
“I need to cool off,” she told him.
He nodded and escorted her from the floor.
She hadn’t totally lied. The room was stifling, even with the air-conditioning and the ceiling fans on.
Dillon waved her hand in front of her face and moved the front of her shirt back and forth in an effort to get as much cool air against her skin as possible.
A glance at the clock showed that the dance had been going for several hours now.
She couldn’t believe that time had passed so quickly.
“Better?” Cal asked.
She nodded, smiling.
“Dusty sure likes to dance,” Cal said with a nod toward the floor, where Dusty twirled a woman in a short skirt and boots.
Dillon laughed. “Oh, yes. Every Friday and Saturday night, he’s dancing at one of the bars.”
“Come on,” Cal said when he spotted an empty chair.
Dillon sank into it with a sigh. “Oh, that feels good.”
“I’ll get us some water.”
Her gaze followed him, noting how the women sized him up.
It didn’t take Dillon long to find Emmett, who was at a table with several older cowboys.
They were all laughing and sharing stories while watching the goings-on.
Emmett and his friends were the worst kinds of gossips, but he always came back with the best stories.
Dillon’s eyes continued moving about the room.
Her stomach dropped to her feet when she caught sight of Hank.
She had known that he would be here, but that didn’t make seeing him any easier.
He moved from group to group, schmoozing.
She was tempted to confront him in front of everyone, but it would most likely backfire on her.
As hard as it was, she remained in her seat.
Sheriff Felps was there, as well, though he wasn’t in uniform.
He was flirting with a young girl that was most likely underage.
Dillon laughed when his wife interrupted his conversation and shooed the girl away.
It was wrong to spy, but Dillon couldn’t look away as Mrs. Felps gave her husband an earful.
“What’s so funny?” Cal asked as he walked up and handed her a bottle of water.
She took it with a smile of thanks and drank deeply. “Felps’ wife just tore him a new one for talking to some young girl.”
“I bet that was fun to watch.”
Dillon covered her hand with her mouth as she laughed. “It was.”
“The night has gone quicker than I expected.”
She nodded, knowing how he felt. “I agree.”
A silence grew. Her gaze moved to the clock to see that it was past midnight. The dance could go long into the early morning hours. She wouldn’t mind staying until the end if she could dance with Cal.
But she would rather be alone.
She turned to him at the same time he turned to her and asked, “Care to dance again?”
“I’d love to,” she said.
Within moments, they were back on the dance floor, and she was in his arms. He pulled her closer as the first strings of The Cowboy Rides Away by George Strait filled the air. His eyes refused to allow her to look away. They swayed back and forth as others danced around them.
They didn’t speak. Cal held Dillon gently, firmly, with his hand on her lower back.
Everyone and everything faded to nothing, leaving only the two of them, the music, and the growing need she didn’t try to ignore.
It was like they were in their own bubble.
As if the night, the entire event, had been created just for them.
She stared into his eyes, seeing the lights above them shining in them.
It was, simply put, the most romantic evening she had ever experienced.
All too soon, the song ended. She wanted to rewind things, to have more time in Cal’s arms, to stare into his stormy gray eyes and feel the delicious things swirling within her.
He put his hand on her back and guided her silently to the door.
Others called out to her, but she didn’t stop.
Cal opened the door for her at the truck and waited until she got in before shutting it.
Her hands shook as she fastened the seat belt.
He didn’t look at her as he slid behind the wheel and started the engine.
They didn’t speak on the drive home. Music from the radio was the only thing that broke the silence.
Dillon stared out the passenger window as she relived their dance.
Despite her many partners that night, it had been Cal who stuck out.
Because she had been dreaming of being in his arms for some time.
Her stomach fluttered when she recalled the intensity of his gaze and how his hand had splayed across her back, dragging her tightly against him.
She had been close enough that she had seen the black band that ringed his irises and the silver flecks within.
Dillon replayed the dance over and over, putting every detail to memory.
She was jerked out of her thoughts when the truck stopped. She blinked and realized that they were at the ranch. Dillon glanced at Cal to find him staring out the windshield. Something had happened between them while dancing. His reaction proved it.
Finally, he turned his head to her. She only saw his silhouette in the darkness, so she couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling.
Dillon swallowed, waiting for him to say something.
Instead, he got out. She released her seat belt and slid out as he came around the truck.
They walked to the house together. He stood beside her beneath the porchlight as she unlocked the door.
When she glanced at him, he looked behind him, his eyes moving slowly.
Dillon opened the door and stepped inside without turning on the kitchen light. Cal followed and locked the door behind him. Now was her chance. This was when she should do something. But what? Did she kiss him? Touch his chest? Tell him she wanted to do wild, erotic things to him?
All of it sounded ridiculous. Especially since she knew the worst that could happen was that he would push her away.
He’d made no moves, given her no clue that he might also be interested.
Staring deeply into her eyes might not mean the same thing to him as it had to her.
The more she hesitated, the more she lost her nerve.
“Thank you for tonight,” she whispered and walked away.
The entire walk upstairs, and as she got undressed, she silently berated herself for not taking the chance that had been there.
So what if her marriage had ended in disaster?
So what if she didn’t have the best track record with relationships?
She was alone with a gorgeous man and wanted to rip off his clothes.
And he was downstairs right now. In her house.
She cleaned her face and brushed her teeth as she thought about going downstairs. What would she say? What would she do? After she’d rinsed her mouth, she looked at herself in the mirror.
“If I don’t do this, I’ll wonder forever,” she whispered.
Dillon squared her shoulders and turned off the light as she left the bathroom. She walked barefoot out of her room and down the hall. When she reached the stairs, she halted, shocked to see Cal at the bottom, looking up at her. His hat, vest, and boots were gone.
“Tell me I’m not crazy,” he said. “Tell me you felt it.”
Shivers of excitement raced over her skin. “I felt it.”
He moved up one stair. “You didn’t say anything.”
“I was coming to talk to you.”
“Talk?” he asked as he moved up two more steps.
She grinned. “There are other things we could do.”
“If you only knew the things I want to do to you.” He walked up a stair with every word until he was before her.
Her heart hammered wildly, her blood heating in her veins. She touched his face before combing her fingers through his hair. He groaned and wrapped his arms around her as he took the last stair and backed her to the wall.
She looked up at him, shocked and exhilarated at the desire coursing through her.
Her hands were on his chest. He placed one hand on the wall beside her head and slowly lowered his until their mouths met for a brief kiss.
He returned for a second, lingering longer this time.
On the third, his lips moved over hers seductively, exquisitely.
She sank into the kiss, into him, seeking the pleasure she knew awaited.
He pushed her against the wall, allowing her to feel his thick arousal pressing into her stomach. His tongue slid between her lips and tangled with hers. He deepened the kiss, taking her breath away. She clung to him, even as her body pulsed with need.
Dillon yanked open Cal’s shirt, buttons flying everywhere. The minute her hands met warm skin, she sighed. But it wasn’t enough. She pushed the garment over his shoulders, attempting to remove it. He released her long enough to yank the shirt off and toss it aside.
She was thankful the light in the hall was on, so she got to see his amazing body. Her hands moved over his firm muscles as she took in the healed wounds on his shoulders that she hadn’t seen the night before. She touched every scar softly before lifting her eyes to his.
The desire in his gaze made her heart skip a beat.
He cupped her face on either side and brought his head down to ravage her lips in a kiss.
He left one hand in her hair, grasping tightly as his other hand traveled down her back and over her butt to cup one cheek.
He ground himself against her. She grabbed his hips, holding him in place, wanting him deep inside her.
And she couldn’t wait.
She reached for his pants. He lifted his head long enough to glance around, then took her hands and led her into her bedroom.
She faced him, unable to believe that this was actually happening.
Cal unfastened his jeans and pushed them down.
When he straightened, her mouth went dry at the sight of his thick arousal jutting out.
Dillon wrapped her hand around his cock, loving the feel of the soft skin and the steel beneath. She looked up at Cal and saw his eyes darken as she moved her hand up and down his length. He groaned before claiming her lips in another fiery kiss.